Explore Portland’s paranormal side with these spooky spots and spirited tours.
Tuck Woodstock
Tuck Woodstock has been writing and editing content for Travel Portland since 2014. Read More
The Pacific Northwest is rife with spooky lore and tales of things that go bump in the night. The Halloween season is the prime time to check out Portland’s many mysterious spots, paranormal activity and spirited walking tours. Goosebumps are all but guaranteed.
White Eagle Saloon
McMenamin’s White Eagle Saloon claims to play host to several apparitions, from a prostitute named Rose to the souls of unwitting residents kidnapped via Portland’s infamous Shanghai Tunnels. But despite this eerie history, the bar’s most notorious spirit is that of Sam Warrick, a bartender and cook from the saloon’s pre-prohibition days. Warrick, who can be spotted in the hotel’s trove of historical photos, has been known to fling condiments across the kitchen.
Lone Fir Cemetery serves as the final resting place for 25,000 souls.
Old Town Pizza
Arguably Portland’s most famous — and persistent — phantom, “Nina” has bedeviled the same spot for more than a century. Nina worked at Old Town’s Merchant Hotel, where she met her untimely end at the bottom of a dark elevator shaft. When Old Town Pizza replaced the Merchant Hotel in 1974, Nina’s spirit refused to leave — diners still report a woman in a black dress keeping watch over their tables.
Lone Fir Cemetery
One of the city’s largest and best-kept pioneer-era graveyards, Lone Fir Cemetery serves as the final resting place for 25,000 souls — believer or not, that’s pretty good odds for spirit-spotting and ghost stories. Take a tour, offered by the Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery, and learn about asylum patients, shanghai captains and ‘fancy ladies’, just a few of the cemetery’s permanent residents with creep factor.
Spooky Portland
Halloween Events in and Around Portland
From corn mazes to dance performances, half-marathons to haunted houses, Portland provides the perfect Halloween plans for any scare-seeking witch or warlock.
The Spirit of Halloweentown
The historic town of St. Helens, located 45 minutes from Portland, celebrates Halloween all month long with haunted tours, costume contests and more.
Portland’s Weirdest Events
Portland comes by its eclectic reputation honestly. From quirky to downright bizarre, here are some of our favorite “Keep Portland Weird” events.
Haunted Pub Crawl
Looking for safety in numbers? The Haunted Pub Crawl from BeerQuest unites fun-loving specter-seekers on a tour of Old Town Portland. With its cobblestone streets and beautiful 19th-century buildings, this district is steeped in history and is purportedly home to a sizable ghost population. Imbibe up to seven drink samples, including award-winning brews from Old Town Brewing, while experts deliver nonstop doses of goosebumps.
Haunted Events
The Corn Maize at the Pumpkin Patch
The Corn Maize, located on Sauvie Island north of Portland, offers visitors eight acres of physical and mental challenges in a cornfield.
Spirit of Halloweentown
The historic town of St. Helens, located 45 minutes from Portland, celebrates Halloween all month long with haunted tours, costume contests and more.
Portland Erotic Ball
The 2022 Portland Erotic Ball returns to the historic Crystal Ballroom on Saturday, October 29th, 2022. The Erotic Ball has become Portland’s biggest, sexiest adult Halloween party for 22 years and takes place on all 3-levels of the renowned venue. Hosted by Emmy-nominee, Sasha Scarlett, Portland Erotic Ball features Soul Vaccination, burlesque, circus acts, aerial…
Was this page helpful?
